Tiptoes Couldn't Be Louder
by Joelle8
Summary: His charms, his acting, do their job; they make the relationship feel like a real one. That is Natalie's not-so itsy-bitsy problem. *Dedicated to Sun Daughter*


Tiptoes Couldn't Be Louder

Her mission is a simple one, a perfect one, a mission that she's sure was custom-made for her because she has every single quality that's needed to carry it out. Stealth, cunning, charm, acting skills, manipulation, the ability to lie through her teeth, beauty- yes, she's got it all.

Yet she is not _too _confident. Cockiness has been the downfall of more than one great spy, after all; she, with her (almost) pure Lucian blood, knows better than to let herself fall into its clutches as well. Besides, from all her reports, she is going up against someone who is just as perfect for this mission as she is, someone who has much more practice at it in addition to that; she could very well have her work cut out for her.

Or at least, she would if she believed in challenges. She may know better than to be confident, but she sure as hell isn't modest.

XxxxX

He is no less handsome in person than he is in his photographs. Upon meeting him, it takes less than an instant to tell how he has made so many girls fall for him: he actually makes brown hair and brown eyes look _good_- a feat that Natalie had previously dubbed impossible. He does the same for a simple ensemble of blue jeans and a blue T-shirt. In fact, he is actually… _worthy _of her, in that fashion. Quite possibly the sole person aside from her brother (and that would just be _wrong_) whose beauty is equal to hers.

There's nothing wrong with that. If Natalie has to pretend to love a person, there's nothing wrong with it being a _handsome _person.

She finds it difficult to believe that he doesn't recognize her; as a Head of the Lucian Branch, she is known to all Cahills, no matter the branch. In fact, the mere idea of him not knowing who she is, her reputation, is _so _ridiculous that Natalie is sure, not deep down at all, that he must be playing the same game as hers.

XxxxX

Nothing goes wrong in Natalie's mission. She and Kurt date; they kiss; they hold hands; they do everything a normal couple would do. And while they do all of this, Natalie periodically gathers and steals any and all valuable information she finds and sends it to the Lucian base.

Yes, it's the perfect relationship.

Except for one itsy-bitsy problem that makes Natalie scream in frustration, throw tantrums worse than any toddler ever could: _He's too good. _She knows full well that this is just another mission to him; yet he is so handsome, so _gentlemanly. _He treats her properly, with all the grace that any woman deserves; he worships just the right amount, yet at the same time is her equal in manners, looks and even intelligence.

Yes, his charms, his _acting_, are impeccable. They do their job; they make the relationship feel like a real one. They make Natalie feel like a… a _queen. _Not that she hasn't always been royalty, but no _boy_'s ever made her feel like it before. It's a nice feeling; one that puts uncomfortable, annoying, pleasant butterflies in her stomach whenever Kurt holds her hand or kisses her goodnight.

_That _is Natalie's not-so itsy-bitsy problem.

(Really, she should've guessed that this would happen, because she's _Natalie Kabra _and only the most dangerous of games could ever be her downfall. And love- even if it's specifically orchestrated to be fake- is the most lethal tactic of all.)

XxxxX

In her boyfriend's eyes- her _enemy_, as she constantly has to remind herself- there is an ever present pain, a sadness, that only comes from heartbreak and that Natalie finds herself jealous of. Not the pain itself, no, but of whoever caused it, because whoever it was, Kurt, in all his unattainable perfection, _loved_. He loved that person with everything in him.

He will never love Natalie like that. She knows it. It _infuriates_maddens_kills_ her.

One day, there is a silence, an awkward one; Natalie looks into Kurt's eyes to say something, and she sees _that pain _again, and what ends up coming out of her mouth is completely different from what she had planned:

"Who was it?"

His beautiful caramel eyes blink. Once; twice; again. Trying to decipher what exactly his girlfriend means, no doubt; maybe even wondering why she wants to know in the first place. When he finally answers, they are closed. "A girl. Tomas branch."

"What happened?"

"She found out that I…" he swallows; the words seem to burn him, his eyes squeezing more tightly shut with each word he says. "That I was spying on her. She left me."

A pause. "What was so special about her?" Natalie asks finally, her voice quiet as she soaks all of this in.

"The fact that she wasn't special at all; especially in her eyes," Kurt replies, and his lips curl up in the faintest hint of a smile for a moment before his entire face droops again. "I love her."

The present tense is taken note of and something- a lingering question, perhaps, that Natalie had pushed to the back of her mind for too long- suddenly clicks.

"That's why you're letting me spy on you," she realizes. "For revenge against the Janus, because if you hadn't been doing what they wanted, you would still be with her."

He opens his eyes and their gazes lock; something softens in his as she hardens, builds up her walls, putting up every defense she has against showing her emotions in her eyes. The last thing she wants is for Kurt to see that she has feelings for him remarkably similar to that which he still harbors for his last girlfriend.

Kurt stares at her for a few seconds; then he says, "If I were to choose someone to steal Janus secrets from me, it would be you, Natalie."

She just nods; she doesn't know whether that means her defenses worked or not.

XxxxX

She ends it with him soon after that, because if she stays with him any longer then she knows she'll get the same pain in her eyes that he has in his. And that's just inexcusable, because that's a _weakness_, and that really speaks for itself.

He goes on with his life, not doing much for the most part, not breaking hearts anymore if the little information Natalie manages to dig up on him in later years is any indication.

Natalie refuses to do _anything _like that _ever _again, because she's learned her lesson: love isn't to be faked; it isn't to be tampered with, because it's _raw _and _real _and it when it's not returned it _bites_ and _scratches _and _gnaws _on you until you're just a shell of what you used to be.

And like any serious injury, the scars don't heal for awhile, and they don't heal without help.

(What Kurt said about his girl? It's true about her brother, too.)

XxxxX

_**Many thanks to **_**Sun Daughter **_**for suggesting this pairing to me; this is dedicated to you, Summer! Thanks for being such a great friend and helping me in my time of imminent need! ;)**_

_**I hope you all liked this new crack!ship. As you can see, I didn't go against my other crack!pairings for Kurt or Natalie (yes, in case you didn't figure it out, I **_**was **_**referring to Hamilton- and a relationship between him and Natalie- at the end). After all, people generally have more than one relationship in their life!**_

_**In other news, this is my 30**__**th**__** story posted on FFnet! EEEEEP! Thank you SO much to anyone who's stuck with me for this long- or even for only part of the way- and to everyone who has read/reviewed/favorited/alerted anything I've ever written! It means so much to me; I love you all!**_

_**Please review! Liked it? Hated it? Preferred it another pairing? Thought it wasn't good enough to be my 30th story? I'd love to know what you all think!**_

_**Thanks again,**_

_**Joelle8**_

_**P.S. DISCLAIMER: It's called **_**fanfiction**_**.net for a reason!**_


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